The Protected
by TrillaryBanksx
Summary: Huey's boring life instantly spirals out of control when he meets Imani, the beautiful but demonic Princess who claims to know him from years before. After finding out who she really is, he starts on a journey to remember who he is also, all while protecting Imani from other malovent supernatural forces going in for the kill. When it's evil versus evil, nobody wins...
1. Familiar Faces

**One, I just wanted to say I'm STOKED about this new season that is currently airing! Even though Aaron McGruder isn't behind the writing on this one, you honestly can barely tell. Now that that's over with, let me explain this a little bit without giving too much away. I wanted to try something very different, and _very_ dark. This is supernatural, so expect to read about the whole good vs evil (in this case, it's evil versus more evil), but it's not going to be as cliche, thank goodness. There are some good stories on here, but I definitely was tired of seeing and reading the same "they've been friends forever, he likes her and she likes him, but neither of them won't admit it" type shit (again, no offense to the stories that are like that. I'm just that weird enough to try something out of the ordinary).**

**The Protected is about a boy who literally dedicated his life to protecting a girl. Thing is, this same girl who he's protecting has some fucked up things going on in her own life, not to mention she's pretty important in her world. Ah shit, I think I gave away too much already -_- oh well, please enjoy. Review and give suggestions if you like. I'm always open to new ideas, and I almost always interpert them into my stories!**

**Disclaimer: Imani, and all of the other OC's are the ONLY things that I own in this story. Nothing else :( **

**And...BEGIN!**

* * *

**I: Familiar Faces**

_**Here I was again...having another one of these damn dreams. They always start off the same...me in a forest, surrounded by darkness. I hear cries in front of me and follow it, until I reach a girl, with her back towards me. Before I could touch her, she would either vanish into thin air, or turn into some grisly-looking monster. If she turned into a monster, I would wake up before it attacks me. This time, I found myself face to face with the monster again. It didn't say anything, it just kept looking at me, like it was waiting for me to become scared. I should've been...if anyone else saw it they would probably shit in their pants. But I felt like I had seen it before, like I had seen it outside of this nightmarish dream.**_

_**The monster made a loud noise and came closer to me, and we were face to face. I reached down for my katana sword, ready to take it out. It threw its head back and screamed, and I gripped my sword tighter. Bring it on.**_

–

"Boy! If you don't get yo ass up! You gonna be late for that school bus, and I'll be damned if I gotta drive you and your knucklehead brother again!"

Huey opened his eyes quickly and looked at his ceiling. He got out of his bed slowly and stretched, yawning loudly. Completely blocking out his grandfather's yelling lecture, he grabbed his towel off of his computer chair and made his way out of the bedroom, and walked to the bathroom next to it. He turned the doorknob and saw it was locked, banging on it afterward.

"Riley!" He groaned. "Hurry up I gotta get in there!"

"Wait, nigga!" Riley's voice yelled from the other side of the door. "Don't be rushing me!"

Huey banged on the door again out of frustration, making his way back to his room.

"And don't be banging on my doors, dammit!" Robert's voice yelled from a distance. "You don't pay for it to be banging on it."

_Please, just shut the hell up_, Huey thought as he sighed heavily. He was seriously considering just locking his door and going back to sleep, but he knew he couldn't. As much as he wanted to be apart of the stereotypical high-school senior ditcher, he knew that it wasn't in him. He had to be in school every day, until he was out of there for good. _5 more months...just 5 more months..._

"I'm done! You can get your smelly ass in there now!" Riley called out.

Huey decided to not say anything and went back into the bathroom. The 10 minute shower he took was more than enough time to figure out why he was continuously having these dreams. Was it a sign? A message? The fact that he doesn't remember anything that's happened to him up until two years ago would be considered weird to anyone else, but it was the truth. He really didn't anything about himself, and it took him some time to remember who his brother and his grandfather was. He was out and dressed in no time, making his way downstairs to the kitchen.

"What did I tell you about drinking all of my juice, boy?!" Robert said to Riley.

"Come on Grandad, it was only a drop left." Riley groaned as he threw the orange juice carton in the garbage.

"Yeah well unless your buying orange juice yourself, don't complain about how much is left in my carton." Robert said. "Ya'll better get going, your bus should be pulling up soon."

"Ugh, I can't wait till you get your car, Huey." Riley said, standing up. "I'm too old to be riding the stupid ass school bus."

"You're only in 10th grade dummy. If anyone is too old for it it's me...all I gotta do is save a little bit more money and I'll get one." Huey said.

* * *

Huey and Riley made their way inside of their high school, parting ways as soon as they got there. Riley went off to hang with his friends and teammates from the basketball team, and Huey went about his own way. He was never the overly popular type, but people knew who he was. He was respected, and some people kind of feared him because they knew he knew how to fight. He made his way to his locker and was met by one of the only people he could actually consider a friend, Jazmine DuBois.

"Hi Huey." She said, as cheerily as she could.

"What's up." He answered, searching through his locker for his US Government textbook.

"Have you seen Jermaine?"

"Nah, he wasn't on the bus...he probably got a ride from somebody else." He said.

"Since he's not here yet, I might as well tell you first. A new girl is supposed to be starting here today." She said.

New girl? There hasn't been anyone new in this school since the beginning of the year, he thought.

"In the middle of the year?" He asked.

"I guess so." Jazmine answered, just as they both heard a slight commotion coming from the end of the hallway.

They both looked in the direction where the noise was coming from and saw a small crowd. When the crowd cleared, there was a girl walking down the hallway in their direction. She walked closer to them, making eye contact with Huey before smiling. She stopped walking when she got in front of him, but didn't take her eyes off of him. _She looks...very familiar..._he thought. The girl suddenly reached out and hugged him excitedly. He was in too much shock to hug her back,mainly because he couldn't figure out who she was in the first place.

"Huey! I can't believe..." She started, but saw the look on his face and stopped. Her smile faded, and she was sporting a sad frown. "You don't remember..."

"Uh, sorry?" Was all he could muster out.

"Y-Yeah, it's okay..." The girl looked down at the ground for a couple of seconds, before looking back at him and Jazmine. "Guess I gotta go find my first period classroom...hopefully you'll remember who I am soon.."

With that, the girl made her way down the hallway again, and towards the staircase. Jazmine looked at Huey, who was still confused as hell.

"You know her?" She asked him.

"No...I don't think I do." He answered. "That was weird as hell."

"Ya think? Because she seems to know you pretty well." She giggled, just as the bell began ringing, warning the students to get to their first class within the next 2 minutes. The crowded hallway began to disperse, just as all of the students started going their separate ways.

"I'll see you at lunch!" Jazmine called out as she started walking away from him as well.

"Sounds good." He said lowly, closing his locker and walking away. _Not even first period and I'm already having a weird day._

* * *

_**Imani Mercury**_

_**Staunton Flats High School**_

_**Woodcrest, Maryland**_

_**8:20 a.m.**_

I knew this was going to happen...he really doesn't remember me. Maybe I shouldn't have came back this early...maybe I should've just stayed where I was before. I mean, I could make him remember, but then I'd hurt him...hopefully Huey will remember who I am soon enough.

"Hey, you lost?"

I turned around and saw another girl looking at me, smirking.

"Kind of, can you help me out?" I asked her.

"No problem. Where you headed?"

"English, Mister James."

"Shit, seriously? I have that old geezer for English right now too." The girl joked. "Come on, you can follow me."

"Okay."

I began following her up the stairs, and she walked through the doors of the second floor.

"You must be the new girl everyone's talking about." The girl said.

"Damn, is it that obvious?" I asked.

"Definitely. But only because there hasn't been anyone new here in months. I'm Bria." The girl said.

"Imani." I said back.

"So Imani, what made you transfer here in the middle of the year? Your senior year at that?" Bria asked.

"Uh...my parents thought it would be best if I went here for the rest of the year, since I just moved a couple of days ago." I said. There was only a sprinkle of truth in that answer.

"Sounds reasonable. Staunton definitely has its assholes, but this school is pretty aight." Bria nodded. We stopped in front of a classroom door and she placed her hand on the knob. "This is it. Watch it, James is kind of a pervert." Bria joked.

"Ha, okay. Thanks for the warning." I said as she opened the door.

That class went by like a breeze, and it seemed like everyone was watching me the entire me. No matter, this happened to me so much that I'm used to it by now. Mister James would sneak a look at me every couple of minutes as well...Bria wasn't lying when she said he was kinda pervy. The ending class bell rang, and I grabbed my bag and walked out of the room. I knew that I had another class in 10 minutes, and then a free period before lunch, so I decided that I was going to use that time to explore this new school more.

Being in a large,public school like this is very different to me. I'm used to either being home schooled, or in a smaller, more strict school setting. Everyone here seems like they're more carefree, and a little reckless too. This is definitely something I have to get used to.

Anyway, I continued to make my way back down to the first floor, where my Physics class was. When I got to the last step, I saw another boy getting ready to walk up the steps, and we both stopped. He was taller than me, by at least a good 5 inches (I'm already 5'7, so he was pretty damn tall), but he looked so familiar. The long, Snoop Dogg-like braids, the thuggish style...after staring at each other for a couple of seconds, I finally realized who it was.

"Imani?" He whispered.

"Riley? Oh my God!" I smiled sweetly and pulled him in for a hug.

He didn't give me the same, shocked reaction like Huey did, but he was still surprised.

"I can't...is it really you?" Riley said.

"Yes. You've gotten so tall!" I said.

"Wait a minute...you're the new girl everyone's talking about?! This is crazy.."

"I know, it's been so long since I've seen you..."

"Did...did Huey see you already?" Riley asked slowly.

I nodded slowly. "He doesn't remember who I am...look I have to get to class real quick. But we can definitely talk afterward if that's okay with you."

"That's cool." Riley gave me another hug. "It's good to see you again, Princess. I've missed you."

I smiled and said, "I've missed you guys too. You honestly have no idea...see you in a little bit."


	2. Kaletos

**II: Kaletos**

**_Riley Freeman_**

**_Staunton Flats High School_**

**_Woodcrest, Maryland_**

**_11:37 a.m._**

Imani was standing right in front of me, and I still couldn't believe it. She's actually here? After two years from basically vanishing in thin air, she's back. So many questions was going through my mind that I didn't even know where to begin.

"You've been quiet since we came out here." Imani started, placing her back against the school building.

"I don't even know where to start." I said.

"How about 'Hey Imani, I've missed you'?"

I gave her a straight face, and she started laughing.

"I was joking..." She said in between her laughter. She took a deep breath and sighed heavily. "You guys erased his memory. He's asleep again..."

I knew what she was talking about, which caused me to sigh as well.

"We had to." I answered. "He was literally going crazy when he found out you just up and left. It was to the point where he tried to kill himself. You know exactly what happens when Protected leave their guards."

"Yeah, I know...Riley I didn't mean to do it. I really didn't." Imani said lowly.

"Then why did you do it?" I said. I felt the anger riling up inside of me, but tried to suppress it.

"I had to!" Imani raised her voice. "It's really hard to explain, but I really had to do it. I didn't want to."

"Well I hate to break it to you Princess, but the only way Huey is going to remember you, or even who he is, is if you wake him up." I said.

"I'll hurt him if I do...I can't bare to hurt him anymore that I have already, even if he doesn't remember me." Imani said. "He will eventually remember everything. When Protector's memories are erased, they slowly begin to come back."

"I know. It didn't take him long to remember us...Princess, why did you really come back?"

"I'm in trouble...I found out something terrible when I was away, and now people are after me." Imani admitted.

"Do you know who it is?"

Imani shook her head. "I'm not sure, I just didn't feel safe. Honestly, I feel more safe here than I did in the Underworld."

The bell inside and outside of the school began ringing, telling us that the free period was now ending. The front school doors opened and more kids came out, either going out to get lunch or leaving because of early release (only the seniors had that privilege. Lucky ass bastards).

"Where are you staying?" I asked her immediately.

"I found a place..." She said.

"No you didn't. You're lyin'." I said. I've known this girl practically my whole life. I can tell when she lying because her right eye twitches.

"Okay, maybe I didn't. But I will."

"You already know where you can stay."

"I cannot stay with you , trust me, I'm fine. Like I said, I feel a whole lot safer now." Imani leaned up off of the wall and grabbed her bag. "I'll see you later, okay?"

"Yeah aight." I said. "Are you going to at least stop by to see Grandad?"

Imani nodded and said, "Soon." With that, she made her way back inside of the school building, and I stayed outside for a little while longer. I don't know if she understands how monumentally serious and dangerous it is for her to be here, especially if people are after her. I mean, she was once the runaway Princess of the Underworld, and now she's in that position once again.

"Riley! Come on nigga, we gotta get to gym class before we get another tardy!" I looked over and saw one of my teammates and good friends, Zavier Holmes waving to me from the front door.

"Aight, I'm coming!" I said back, and made my way over to him.

* * *

_**Imani Mercury**_

_**Staunton Flats High School**_

_**Woodcrest, Maryland**_

_**2:30 p.m.**_

I've been trying to avoid seeing Huey all day, but I find myself running into him more times than I can count. Every time we've crossed paths, he looks at me as if he's trying to figure out who I am, and all I can do is smile back, hoping that at any moment he'll go "Imani? I've missed you!", but it was to no avail. Other than that, a lot of people have been pretty nice to me today. Besides the typical testosterone-filled jocks that tried to hit on me every chance they got, some of them were actually cool. Bria introduced me to a couple of her friends on the dance team, which she was apart of.

I walked into my last class of the day, which was Advanced Japanese. It was a pretty small class,I think it was about ten people in it, including myself.

"Ah, this is our new student I was told about." The instructor said, holding his hand out to me. I looked around the small class and saw one distinctive, easily recognizable afro and held my breath. Everyone turned their heads and looked at me, and once again, me and Huey were making eye contact with each other.

Am I surprised he's in this class? No. I mean, I'm the reason he's so fascinated with Japanese culture in the first place.

"She can definitely sit next to me." One of the guys in the middle of the classroom said, winking at me. Instead, I chose the seat behind him, going towards the back of the classroom. I was still in front of Huey, but I felt his eyes still on my back after I sat down.

"Mercury-sama, you may or may not understand what we're going over because you've entered the class late, but it's perfectly fine. It shouldn't take too long to catch up." My teacher said.

I nodded, just as he began the days lesson. We were learning how to write formal papers in Japanese...honestly, I know how to do all of this already, but I just took it up because I had to choose between this and landscaping. Yeah...no.

"I hope you guys didn't forget about the project that will be announced really soon." Mr. Koto said as the class was coming to an end. "This is a group project, and thankfully we now have an even amount of people in here. So it'll be two people assigned to a group. I'm selecting them randomly, so I'll let you know the teams tomorrow."

The class ended not too long after that, and I made my way back out of the classroom. When I stepped outside, I felt a hand stop me and turned around. For like the fifth time that day I was face to face with Huey, but he was silent. He just kept staring at me...

"Do you know who I am?" I asked him.

"...I'm not sure." He answered. "But I feel like I do."

I smiled weakly and got out of his soft grip. "You'll remember soon, then." I said, before turning around and making my way towards my locker.

Once I was far away from him, my heart started sinking again. As if seeing him again after I abruptly left two years before wasn't enough, now he really couldn't remember who I was because his memory had to be erased. All because of me. After quietly getting my hoodie out of my locker, I grabbed the door and was getting ready to close it.

"You should wake him up." A familiar voice said, causing me to jump back.

I instantly looked to my left and saw who was talking to me. It was Kaletos, one of my families servants back in the Underworld. How the hell did she find me?

"What are you—" I started.

"I've been taking care of you your whole life, Princess. It didn't take me long to realize where you went." She answered.

Kaletos was still in her true, demonic form. If anybody were to see her like this, it would be over. Seriously.

"Why are you in your true form on Earth?" I asked her.

"Relax child, no one can see me but you, Huey and Riley. But they aren't out here so it's just you." She said. "I see Riley automatically recognized who you were, but not his brother."

"They had to take his memory away..." I said.

"I know child, I've heard. You have to wake him up."

"But I'll hurt him if I do. I can't bare to hurt him again."

"That is a small price he'll have to pay. The Imperial Guard, and even some of the Malicious Forces are all on to you, Imani. You leaving out of the blue like that was very dangerous. You need to get back to the Underworld now." Kaletos said.

In case you're confused, the Imperial Guard is the army that the kingdom, aka my family, is in charge of. Malicious Forces are the names the higher lords gave other demonic forces from the underworld who's plans are to ultimately overthrow my family, and take over the Underworld themselves.

My family is bad, but these guys are much, much worse. They are the whole reason why we have Protectors in the first place, because royals were continuously being brutally murdered by them centuries ago.

"Princess, do you understand what I'm saying?" Kaletos said. "We need to leave, now."

"I'm not leaving." I said immediately.

"Do you understand how much danger you are in, right now, as we speak? The Forces could be disguised as anyone you walk by right now, and you'll never know it until it's too late."

"I'm not leaving, Kaletos. I was in more danger over there than I'm in now."

"...You think he's going to save you?" Kaletos asked me. "You think he's going to save somebody he can't even remember? Huey will watch you die and will not think anything of it, because he does not remember you. Take my warning child, it is only going to get worse if you continue to stay on Earth for any longer."

Before I could open my mouth to counter her argument, I heard another voice call my name.

"Hey, Imani!" Bria's voice called from down the hall way. I looked over at her and she smiled. "Our coach said you can practice with us today if you want. She really wants to see what moves you have!"

"That's great!" I called out. I looked behind me again and didn't see Kaletos anymore, thinking that she had vanished again. The whole walk from inside of the school, to the auditorium across the football field wasn't enough time to think about what she had just told me. Was it really worth staying here if I'm in that much danger?

No. I cannot even think about going back home. Not after everything that I found out about my not-so-perfect royal family.


	3. Awake

**Quick little note: I just want to say one thing before we continue. There is a reason why only a little bit was given away in the beginning. Huey doesn't remember anything about himself up until two years ago, so he's not going to remember who Imani is because she went back to the Underworld _two_ years ago. I hope that these next two chapters can clear a little bit up up about the "Royalty-Protector" relationship, and I apologize if it doesn't, it will as the story goes on. I just thought I had to say this first because it seems like it wasn't understood when I said it the first time. I'm not the type to throw the whole plot in your face, I like to give little hints and teasers before I start to fully explain it. :)**

**Okay, enjoy!**

* * *

**III: Awake**

_**Huey Freeman**_

_**Halifax Avenue**_

_**Woodcrest, Maryland**_

_**6:00 pm**_

I can't even begin to describe how today was. I usually breeze by my easy ass classes like its nothing, but I found it much harder to concentrate for some reason. But, I'm glad that it's over now, all I wanna do is go home and go to sleep. I spent some time at the hill that's not too far away from the school, its where I go when I have a lot of my mind. When I got there, that girls face just kept popping up in my head. I feel like I know her from somewhere, but I can't put my finger on where. I know I've seen her before..but where?

When I was walking back to the house, I heard voices coming from around the corner, and couldn't help but listen in.

"You need some help getting home? We can definitely do that for you."

"No thanks, I'm okay..."

"Aww, you shouldn't try to deny a nice persons help. It could get you into some trouble."

"I-I'm fine, please just leave me alone."

One of the voices sounded familiar, so me being my nosy ass self, I followed the sounds of the talking. I turned the corner and saw two dudes from my school standing in front of a girl. When I got a closer look, I saw that it was the same girl from school who claimed to know me. What a fucking coincidence.

–

_**Imani Mercury**_

_**Halifax Avenue**_

_**Woodcrest, Avenue**_

_**6:10 pm.**_

All I was trying to do is find a hotel, or somewhere to stay for the night. When these two boys walked up to me claiming to know me from school, I immediately knew that something was off. Today was my first day at Staunton Flats, so not a lot of people know me. And I haven't seen them around there anyway.

"I already told you guys I'm okay. Can you please move so that I can get by?" I asked.

I tried to walk past them but they blocked me again. What is it with these Earth boys? They are too damn persistent.

"I don't think I could live with myself if something happen to a pretty girl." One of them said.

"Same here." The other one said. "Especially one who looks like royalty."

"She does look pretty special. Her looks are almost out of this world."

They began walking towards me, and I started to back away, looking to my sides to see if anyone is around. Should I turn into my true form and take care of them myself? Because I'm not in the Underworld, my power is very limited, making it pretty dangerous to turn out of my human form. Also, I had totally forgotten how illegal it was to use it against humans...but I've already broken the law by being here haven't I? I bumped into something behind me and stopped.

"Don't ya'll got something better to do rather than trying to bother her?" When I heard that, I turned around and saw Huey standing there. He looked confused, but knew that he was supposed to be right there. Right next to me.

"Mind your business, we're just trying to have a little fun with the lady." The first guy said.

"Do you know them?" Huey asked me, and I answered by shaking my head.

"Never seen them before." I said.

"It don't look like she wants to have fun with you." He said to the two guys. "Leave her alone."

"Or what? What could you possibly do, weak boy?" The second guy hissed.

"I'm done playing around, Hikaru." The first guy said. "We already know who he is..." He pointed to me and smiled evilly. "And we know who you are too, _Princess_."

_The Forces could be disguised as anyone you walk by right now, and you'll never know it until it's too late._

Dammit. Looks like Kaletos was right about this one too. How did they find me?!

"Who the fuck are you calling Princess?" Huey said angrily, unaware that they were talking about me.

"You wish we were talking about you." The second guy, Hikaru said. "I know you're too stupid to understand what's going on, but she's coming with us."

"I'm not going anywhere." That was the first time I had spoken in minutes, and Huey looked at me like I was crazy.

"They're talking about you? Why the hell are they calling you Princess? Is that your name?" He asked me.

"You can explain yourself when we take both of you in. Roman?" Hikaru said.

"Yeah, I know." The first guy, Roman said.

They immediately began changing out of their human forms, and their eyes began turning red. Huey and I jumped back in surprise, just as horns began forming out of their heads.

"What the hell is going on?!" Huey said.

"We gotta get out of here." I told him. "It's not safe. Come on!"

He nodded and we tried to run away, only to get knocked back by a powerful voice. I fell on my back, and that shit hurt like a bitch. I looked to my left and saw Huey still on his feet, looking more confused than ever. That hit made me fall back, but he stayed on his feet perfectly. Could his fighting skills be coming back now?

"I don't know what the hell is going on, but you will not be leaving with any of us. Especially not this girl." He yelled at them.

"He has no chance against us, Roman." Hikaru laughed.

"That's right, Hikaru." Roman laughed. "For some reason he doesn't remember anything, which means he's sleeping."

"I'm not sleeping, I'm clearly awake and I'm gonna beat the shit out of you." Huey said. He couldn't believe they were talking about him when he was standing right there.

"You can't beat us, if you don't know how to fight." Roman said, charging at Huey.

"Look out!" I called out to him, but he stood his ground.

Roman swung at Huey twice, but he blocked both of them. Roman growled angrily, and his furry ears twitched rapidly as he grabbed Huey, and slammed him down to the ground. He coughed in pain and tried to turn over, but Roman placed his furry foot on his chest.

"Huey!" I called out, and tried to run to him, but something pulled me back. When I looked up, I saw Hikaru looking down at me, his fangs showing through his smile.

"You're not going anywhere, Princess." He growled.

"Let...go of her..." Huey struggled to get out, but Roman put more pressure on his chest.

"Not a chance." Hikaru said. "Roman, do you want him to come with us or not."

"He has no use with us." Roman said, looking down at Huey, who was still struggling to breathe. "I'll take care of him. You go and let the Boss know we've retrieved the Princess."

"Right." Hikaru threw me to the ground and pointed. "You move, and you're dead." He threatened before he walked away.

"Let's make this quick for me, but slow and painful for you." Roman raised his hand,and a dark purple-like aura formed around it.

"No! Don't do it!" I pleaded.

"Too late." The purple aura was released and it hit Huey square in the chest, causing him to cry out in pain. My heart sunk so low, I thought it was gonna drop out of my butt. Purple slime continued to spread across his chest, and the side of his face.

"In about 2 minutes, he'll be dead." Roman said, walking away was well. "And in about 2 hours, you'll meet your demise as well. You should've never left the Underworld, Princess Imani. Don't try to run away either, it won't work."

I don't know where they left off to, but I knew they weren't far away. I immediately ran over to Huey and saw him trying to gasp for air. The slime was making its way across the rest of his chest and his face, and I knew it was poisoning him. He was going to die if I didn't do something, and quick.

"What...is going on..." He struggled to say. "I can't move..."

I didn't answer him at first because I was still trying to figure out what to do. I had two options: sit here and let him die from the poison, or finally wake him up. But if I did the second option, there was still a chance he wouldn't make it, and would succumb to the poison. But there was also that chance that he would live...I guess I had no other choice. I had to take that chance.

I moved his arms to his sides and sat on top of him. My butt was on the edge of his stomach, and my knees were bent out to his sides.

"Huey, I'm...I'm sorry...I have to do this. You can't die on me." I pleaded.

"What the hell...what are you...talking about?" He choked.

"Just stay still..." I ripped the rest of his already-ripped up shirt and exposed his chest. The poison was moving at a rapid pace, and I didn't have that much time left. I took the ponytail holder from around my wrist and tied my hair into a low ponytail, taking it away from my face. "This might hurt. I'm sorry.." I said as I leaned down towards his neck, changing into my true form.

–

_**Narrator's POV**_

_**Halifax Avenue**_

_**Woodcrest, Maryland**_

_**6:30 pm**_

Huey watched in horror as he saw the gorgeous, but strangely familiar girl transform in front of his eyes. Just like the two guys he had tried to fight off earlier, her eyes had turned a dark, bloody red, and little horns began forming out of her head. Markings began to cover the side of her neck, arm, and the parts of her chest that were already exposed from her low V-neck shirt. Her skin complexion had went from a milky, caramel brown, to darker, golden brown. _What in the fuck? She looks...evil, but still good._ He thought as she leaned down towards his neck. Without a second to spare, he felt a sharp, painful sensation in his neck, and realized that she had bit him. Trying his hardest to get him off of her, Huey tried to use the little bit of strength he thought he had to move her, but his body was beginning to feel numb from the poison. He tried to speak but he couldn't, all he could do is lay there and give in to the pain. Just as his vision began to get hazy, the pain started to slowly go away, and he went from feeling a sharp sensation, to it starting to feel...good. He groaned involuntarily before passing out, causing Imani stop and sit back up.

She wiped the rest of the poison from her mouth and looked down at Huey, who was still unconscious. _Dammit! Is he dead?!_ She thought as she tried to shake him awake.

"Huey?...Huey!" She cried out as she continue to shake him, but he remained motionless.

Just as she was beginning to cry because she thought she did the one thing she was afraid of doing, she felt a presence behind her and froze up.

"Well would ya look at that? The Princess did our job for us." Roman's deep voice said behind her. He began chuckling and took out a wooden stake. "We've just gotten orders to kill you on the spot as well."

–

_**Huey Freeman**_

_**Halifax Avenue**_

_**Woodcrest, Maryland**_

_**6: 30 pm**_

I obviously have never felt pain before, because this was possibly the worst fucking type of pain I've ever felt in my life. The poison moving through my body was bad enough, but this girl just bit me and made it worse! But there was nothing I could do, I couldn't even move to get her off of me. Suddenly, the pain starting to subside, and it started to feel good. Wait a second, was I liking this shit? Before I had a chance to answer that question myself, I felt myself getting even weaker, and I closed my eyes.

I opened them back up, and saw that I was in a forest. Great, this fucking dream again? I heard the cries just like last time, so me being a clueless dumbass as always, I followed them. I found the same girl as before, with her back towards me. When I got closer, she turned around slowly and looked at me. She didn't vanish this time, or turn into a flesh-eating monster either. She just...looked at me. And it was the same girl who had just bit me. Her eyes were still puffy and watery, and she wiped her face.

"Are you okay? Why are you crying?" I asked her.

"You don't remember me..." She said softly.

When that was said, the scenery was changed again, and I was down in a basement-like area. I looked in front of me and saw a little boy and a little girl, sitting in chairs next to each other. They both had their arms held out, and it was covered in markings and blood.

"This hurts..." The little girl said.

"I know...wait, you can feel it too?" The boy said.

"Uh huh...what's going on?" The girl said.

"You two are officially bound by blood-contract now." Another man walked into the room, and over to them. He looked like another one of those demonic figures that approached me earlier. "Huey, you are now the Protector of Princess Imani. As long as you are alive, you will use every ounce of your being, honing and perfecting that skills you have to protect her. You will not let anything happen to her." The man eyes turned a bright red as he looked at the little boy. The little boy was...me?

_You don't remember me_...this is the girl from my dreams. The girl who approached and hugged me earlier today.

When I opened my eyes again, I saw one of the men, Roman, behind her, getting ready to stab her with the wooden stake. Without hesitation, I grabbed her swiftly and moved her to the side, blocking the attack and pushing him back. Imani fell to her side and sat back up, looking at me with surprise. I stood up slowly and walked in front of her, looking right at both Roman and Hikaru.

"You touch her, and you're dead." I stated.

"Uh oh." I spotted fear in Hikaru's eyes. "Roman, you think he's finally awake?"

"Looks like it." Roman smiled, showing his fangs. "Good. Now this fight can become a lot more interesting."


	4. Savior

**IV: Savior**

_**Narrator's POV**_

_**Halifax Avenue**_

_**Woodcrest, Maryland**_

_**6:50 pm**_

Imani stayed seated on the ground as she looked around in shock. _It...worked?,_ she thought. Suddenly, she felt a sharp pain in her back causing her to fall forward on her stomach. She tried to get up, but the pressure and pain kept her from doing so. Huey looked back at her with surprise, and looked at Hikaru, who was laughing.

"You said, not to touch her right?" Hikaru closed his fist, and the pressure on Imani's back heightened, causing her to cry out in pain. "I'm not touching herrr." He teased.

"Imani!" Huey called out.

"Huey!" Imani cried back. "I want you...to kill these bastards..." She tried to push herself up, and felt her arms wobbling violently before she fell back down on her stomach again. "That is an _order_!" She demanded.

It was like something inside of him snapped when she said those words, because he had literally blacked out afterward. A Katana (the same one in his dreams, actually) had seemingly came out of no where and appeared by his side. He grabbed it and sliced through the skin on his hand, causing blood to spill out of it, and go through the long spaces on the sword itself. His eyes instantly went from it's chocolate brown color, to an amber-like color instead. He held the sword back and ran towards Roman and Hikaru, who had stood in place to prepare themselves.

The fight had began, and Huey was seemingly beating the shit out of both men. Everything was heightened, from his speed, to his strength, and even the agility of his sword. At one point he had Roman down, and Hikaru tried to use the same telekinetic power he had used on Imani, on him. Instead, Imani caught on and used a defensive, shielding power of her own to block it, causing an open opportunity for Huey to attack. He stuck his sword through Hikaru's chest, causing him to cry out in pain before getting his head sliced completely off of his shoulders. His headless body fell limp to the ground, with black blood spilling out of it, and his head fell right next to it. Huey looked over at Roman, who had looked scared for the first time that night.

He walked over to him slowly and raised his sword in front of Roman's face.

"This isn't over just because you'll kill me." Roman said coldly. "There are others after you. Even your kingdom wants you to pay what you've done, Princess. If you're even worthy of that title."

"Then I'm gonna do the same shit to them, what I'm gonna do to you now." Huey answered, his voice just as cold as Roman's. "You have anything else to say?" Roman didn't answer him, causing Huey to smirk. "Good."

With one swift slice, Roman's head was cut off, and he was killed instantly. The Katana seemed to have disappeared, and Huey turned back around, just as Imani was standing back up on her feet. They looked at each other for a couple of seconds, before he slowly began walking over to her. She met him halfway and looked in his eyes, and they began turning back to it's original brown color.

"Do you remember who I am now?" She asked him for the second time that day, as she touched his cheek softly.

Huey nodded slowly and said, "You're my Princess...and I have to protect you."

* * *

_**Huey Freeman**_

_**Freeman Household**_

_**Woodcrest, Maryland**_

_**7: 30 am**_

I woke up the next morning, back in my room...maybe it was all a dream? A weird, fucked up dream involving things I didn't even think it was real. My chest felt heavy, and my mouth tasted like I had ate pure copper. I sat up in my bed and yawned, stretching my arms out. That's when I saw it: the huge scar trailing down my arm and even though it looked fresh, it didn't hurt at all.

"Morning sleepyhead." Another voice said. I stopped stretching and instantly looked to my right.

Imani was sitting in my bed. In my bedroom. And in my pajama shirt. What the fuck?

"What the hell?!" I jumped so badly I thought I fell out of my skin. My intense reaction caused Imani to start giggling.

"Wow, somebody's still jumpy." She said.

"What are you doing here?!"

"What else? I fell asleep here." She said.

I saw that she was wearing one of my pajama shirts, but nothing else (I mean, besides underwear), and all I was wearing was pajama pants and underwear myself. My heart immediately started beating rapidly, and my mind began filling with all types of shit.

"Did we..uh..." I asked lowly.

Imani smirked and shook her head, "No, we didn't sleep with each other, don't worry. It's forbidden for royalty and their Protectors to have an intimate relationship..."

I breathed out with relief and sat back. "So everything that happened last night was true..."

"What? The whole fighting demonic creatures thing?" Imani got out of my bed and walked over to my television. "Yeah, it was true."

"You were just sleeping in my bed...and you're acting like everything is fine? Did anything from last night even phase you?" I asked.

"Huey, I am the Princess of the Underworld. I'm not even human..." She sighed. "Shouldn't you be getting ready for school or something?"

"My first class isn't until 10 today." I said, turning on my television. The news channel was on, and it seemed like all of the attention was on Halifax Avenue. Not even surprised.

"The large amounts of what seems to be a black substance has caused major concern ever since it was spotted by pedestrians early this morning." The news anchor said. "Authorities are now trying to figure out what exactly it could have been, and have already ruled out the possibility of it being oil. Witnesses had recalled hearing monster-like screams last night as well. More information on this bizarre sighting in this seemingly-quiet neighborhood a little later."

"This is not good..." Imani said softly.

"Ya think?" I was tired of the idle conversation, and I wanted to know what the hell was going on, and who the hell she was. Mostly, I wanted to know what the hell she was doing in my bedroom, although I didn't mind looking...wait, what? Cut it the fuck out, Huey.

"Can you please tell me what the hell is going on?" I asked desperately. Ugh, I hated being desperate. "Who the hell are you, and what were you doing in my bed?"

Imani turned and looked right in my eyes. "You know who I am. You told me last night."

"Am I missing a screw here or something? One minute I'm living a boring ass, suburban life, and the next minute I'm fighting off demons. Imani, tell me what the fuck is going on." I demanded.

Her playful manner finally subsided, and she knew I was serious. She sat back down on the bed in front of me, literally centimeters away from me.

"My name is Imani Tepes, and I'm the Princess of the Underworld." She stated.

"Tepes...as in Vlad Tepes?" I said, my eyes getting wide with surprise. "Y-Your—"

"Yeah..." Imani sighed and nodded her head. "I'm a descendant of Dracula. But so many other bloodlines have crossed into my family that no one knows exactly what I am. So, I'm just called a She-Devil."

* * *

_**Imani Mercury**_

_**Freeman Household**_

_**Woodcrest, Maryland**_

_**7: 50 am**_

The look Huey was giving me was absolutely priceless. I mean, I knew he wasn't going to remember everything immediately after he's been awakened again, but it was still funny to watch his reaction.

"We've been close since we were practically born...your family and my family have been good friends for generations. Every time a new person is born into my family, your family decides which member has to protect them. There was a rare occurrence where one member of each family was born around the same time: me, and you. So naturally we became close when we were younger, and eventually became bound in blood." I explained.

"So the vision I had...it was true..." He said.

"What vision?" I asked.

"When you bit me, I saw a little girl and a little boy sitting in chairs, with their arms covered in blood and weird marks..."

I put my arm out in front of me and raised my other hand over it, just as it began revealing the same markings he was talking about. His eyes got wide again and he cautiously lifted his arm as well, the same markings appearing down his entire arm like a tattooed sleeve.

"I'm...I'm still confused. If I supposedly protected you our whole lives, why didn't I remember you?" He asked as he put his arm back down.

My heart sunk as I juggled whether or not to tell him the truth.

"It doesn't matter, because you remember me now...your memories will slowly come back to you." I answered.

Before I could say anything else, his bedroom door flew open and Mr. Robert, his grandfather, stood at that door.

"Grandad!" He said in shock.

"What? I was just coming to tell you I'll be out for a little while." Mr. Robert looked over at me and smiled, and I returned it with a smile of my own.

"Uh, okay. This is—" Huey started.

"I know who she is." Mr. Robert finished.

"Soo you don't find it weird that a girl is in my bed." Huey said.

"Eh, you're 18. It was bound to happen anyway." Mr. Robert said, walking away from the doorway. "Don't eat up all of my shit while I'm gone!"

When Mr. Robert was gone, Huey looked at me with confusion, and I began laughing.

"He was always cool..." I said.

"He thinks we slept together..." He said.

"No, he knows we didn't." I said. "But, your grandad was always nice to me...he was kind of like a second father."

"You just put my grandfather, and 'nice' in the same sentence?" Huey smirked and finally got out of his bed. He made his way to the door and looked back at me. "Well, Princess, since you've already made yourself at home by sleeping in my bed, you can make your own breakfast."

"Oh, really? So I can't just order you to make it for me?" I teased, as my eyes flashed red. His facial expression didn't change for a couple of seconds, before he smiled again.

"Are you trying to use control on me?" He asked.

"Uh..." Damn, I was caught. It never worked casually before, so I don't know why I thought it would work now. I was surprised when it worked last night, but then I realized it was because I was in a serious situation. "No. I'll make it myself." I said as I quickly walked out of the bedroom, and towards the stairs.


End file.
